United States Naval Academy Academic Dean and Provost Samara Firebaugh discussed the Academy’s mission, preparing its approximately 4,500 students for careers in the military/government as well as the private sector, its core curriculum and her priorities when she addressed the BWI Business Partnership at it October Signature Breakfast.
Firebaugh talked about the USNA’s core curriculum, which includes 18 disciplines that encompass 26 majors that are “heavy on STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics),” while also noting the importance of teaching interpersonal skills in small classes where teamwork is the emphasis.
She went on to discuss her priorities, including “rightsizing” the core curriculum, increasing cross-cultural awareness, preparing for future battlespace via artificial intelligence, increased focus on data science and machine learning, and “expanding [educational] war gaming as a pedagogical tool.”
Firebaugh also talked about importance of making the USNA campus more resilient to climate change. The USNA is in the midst of one of its initial such projects, which is raising seawalls near Farragut Field and Santee Basin. The project was funded and construction is underway.
The October meeting was held at the BWI Airport Marriott. The Partnership’s next Signature Breakfast will feature Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman and be held on Thursday, Nov. 9. The event will be held at Live! Casino & Hotel, in Hanover.